HANOI LIKE A LOCAL

The 1,000-year-old capital city offers a time-travel experience with its hearty dose of culture, an elegant fusion of architectural styles, and a fascinating food and coffee heritage

- Shikha Shah

IT’S A RAINY SUNDAY afternoon and we have planted ourselves on low-slung plastic stools outside a hole-in-the-wall coffee shop on a narrow winding street with tightly clustered, slender, run-down houses on both sides. Colourful lanterns and flowerpots adorning the balconies, and laundry lines strung on the top floors impart a certain Asian vintage charm to the buildings. There is mounting excitement as locals start pushing their stools closer to the walls and request all the selfie-clicking tourists to move off the rail tracks. Sipping on a warm cup of silky, delectable salt coffee, I find myself popping my head out now and then. We are at the Old Quarter’s quaint and chaotic Train Street, and the 3.20pm train is about to arrive any moment. A train bypass constructed in 1902 during French colonial rule, Train Street offers the thrilling, multi-sensory experience of watching a slow-moving train whizz by just a few inches away from the residences.

Checking into our home in Hanoi

After arriving at Noi Bai International Airport early morning, we take a 45-minute taxi ride to Harry’s Residence (harrys.vn), an elegant Airbnb apartment sitting on Phùng Hu’ưng street in the historic Old Quarter. A flawless den for a family of three to four, our home for the next few days is equipped with two double beds, a mini contemporary kitchenette, an electric fireplace to counter typically chilly, rainy Hanoi weather, and our favourite—the standing balcony that offers a top view of a stretch of the railway line.

Getting lost in the artistic Old Quarter